Mark Titus says government gave assurances for cooperation in River Birch case

Mark Titus testified Wednesday morning that the federal government assured him it would not seize his property in exchange for his cooperation against River Birch Inc. executive Dominic Fazzio. Titus again cited a 2011 pre-sentencing report that said the government did not intend to seize or force him to forfeit his properties. "I had it in writing from the...

Mark Titus testified Wednesday morning that the federal government assured him it would not seize his property in exchange for his cooperation against River Birch Inc. executive Dominic Fazzio. Titus again cited a 2011 pre-sentencing report that said the government did not intend to seize or force him to forfeit his properties.

Mark TitusNola.com | The Times-Picayune

"I had it in writing from the government,'' Titus testified. "Why else would I think otherwise?''

The testimony came in U.S. District Court in New Orleans during a hearing on Fazzio's motion to dismiss an indictment against both men. Fazzio alleges that Titus, his brother-in-law and a co-defendant, had a secret deal with prosecutors to testify against him.

In his testimony, Titus also said he wore his own recording device when he secretly recorded a conversation with Fazzio in June 2011, as part of his cooperation with prosecutors. The testimony suggested the government was not aware that Titus was wearing his own device, but that prosecutors confiscated the device afterward.